‘THOR’ holds off ‘BRIDESMAIDS’ with $34.5M box-office win

The Hammer of Hemsworth has fended off a strong challenge from Kristen Wiig’s comic bouquet — guaranteeing that many of last weekend’s testosterone-laced metaphoric headlines about “Thor” will be usurped this week by winking descriptions of “Bridesmaids” as “feisty,” “peppy” and perhaps that most demeaning of euphemisms, “spunky.”

Marvel’s “Thor” grossed $34.5-million to win a second straight domestic weekend, according to studio estimates reported by Box Office Mojo. (Final numbers are expected Monday.) Ten days after its release, the Kenneth Branagh-directed film has now grossed $119,252,000 domestically and $317,667,148 Earth-wide.

A more precipitous drop, though, and “Thor” would have been topped by “Bridesmaids,” the female-skewing comedy from writer-star Wiig and that ol’ “Freaks and Geeks” team, Judd Apatow and Paul Feig. Buoyed by positive reviews and strong word-of-mouth, “Bridesmaids” exceeded industry predictions by grossing $24.4-million.

Elsewhere, the avian animated film “Rio” continues to have legs, grossing $8-million. The Carlos Saldanha film has now grossed nearly $125-million domestically and more than $415-million worldwide.

And next weekend, of course, even Thor will have to clear a path for an even-mightier box-office hero: Capt. Jack Sparrow.

(Our early prediction: “Pirates” 4 will open to at least $85-million.)

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